The invention relates to an apparatus to adjust tension or pitch of a vibrating string on a musical instrument, and more particularly, to an improved tuning device for a stringed musical instrument.
A string tuning apparatus is well known in the prior art, among musicians and individuals playing guitars, cello and other string instruments. These devices have usually been manually manipulated where the proper orientation and manipulation of the device was essential in the rotation of the pegs to tension associated musical strings. The manual manipulation to tune such instruments has been always burdensome especially to most individuals. The relative proximity of the various pegs about a mutual instrument has further complicated the tuning situation. There have been several attempts to develop tuning apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,116 to Pantoja discloses a musical instrument accessory which includes a socket having a face with an elongated opening proportioned to engaged the string tensioning pegs of a stringed instrument A lever extends outward from the socket and an elongated handle is attached to the lever at a location thereon that is spaced apart from said socket. The handle extends in a direction that is substantially at right angles to the face of the socket. The handle has a first handle portion which is directly attached to the lever and a pivoting second handle portion which extends alongside the first portion at a first orientation of the second portion and which extends at an angle relative to the first portion at a second orientation of the second portion. The second portion of the handle is attached to the first handle portion by a pivot coupling. First and second cutting inserts are secured to the first and second handle portions respectively at corresponding locations thereon which locations are spaced away from the pivot coupling. The cutting inserts have sharp cutting edges located to be in sliding contact with each other as the second handle portion is pivoted toward the first orientation of the handle portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,953 to Koch discloses a musical instrument string winder including a knob socket having an integral gear on one end and a socket for engaging a string winder knob on another end, the knob socket having a predetermined number of teeth; a handle having an integral gear on one end and a substantially flat gripping portion on another end, and the handle integral gear having a predetermined number of teeth. To produce more than one turn of the musical instrument knob for each crank of the handle, the number of teeth in the handle integral gear should be at least more than half the number of teeth of the knob socket integral gear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,029 to St. Denis discloses a device for use in tuning a stringed instrument having a plurality of tuning pegs each of which can be rotated to alter the tension of a string associated therewith to vary the frequency of the note produced by the string when plucked, the device comprising a manually graspable body, a head member extending outwardly from the body and shaped to releasably engage one of the tuning pegs of the instrument, the body being separate from the instrument and movable such that the head member can be engaged with each of the pegs independently as required, a motor mounted in the body and arranged to drivingly rotate the head member to rotate said one peg, said motor being arranged to be rotated in both a clockwise and counterclockwise direction to tension and loosen the string as required, sensor means arranged to detect the note produced by the string when plucked and to calculate the fundamental frequency of the note, means storing a plurality of predetermined required frequencies, each associated with a respective one of the strings of the instrument, comparator means arranged to compare the fundamental frequency of the note of the string with said plurality of predetermined required frequencies and to select from said predetermined required frequencies that one of the frequencies which is closest to said fundamental frequency and means for driving rotation of the motor in a direction to alter the fundamental frequency of the note of the string to said one of the frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,002 to Siminoff discloses a fast-wind tubing machine including a knob which is coupled to a winder shaft of a tuning machine of a stringed musical instrument, such as a guitar. Coupled to the knob is an extension means to effectively extend the radius of rotation of the knob. The extension means may include a crank, the crank being pivotally connected to the knob so as to be movable from a concealed storage position to an operative position whereby the crank projects out from the knob so as to create an extended lever arm. The resultant extended lever arm effectively comprises approximately double the moment arm of the frame alone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,575 to Pearse discloses a device for manually turning a tuning button of a stringed musical instrument for changing the tension of a string. In its preferred embodiment, the device has an elongated head with an open receptacle positioned at one end and on one side of the head for receiving the tuning button. An elongated handle is pivotally attached for rotational movement of the head, thereby turning the tuning button received within the open receptacle. The handle is positioned on the side of the head opposite to the side having the open receptacle and extends lengthwise along an axis laterally offset from a first axis of the head. Means for pivotally connecting one end of the handle to the other end of the head are provided, there being a pivot axis extending transversely, and preferably substantially perpendicularly to the first axis of the head.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050126104 to Yamin et al. discloses a cutting device comprising a first cutting blade, the blade comprising a first blade inside surface; a first blade outside surface; a first handle end portion; a first blade portion, the first blade end portion extending away from the first handle end portion and terminating at a first blade tip, the first blade portion having a first blade cutting edge and an opposing first blade blunt edge; a second cutting blade, the blade comprising a second blade inside surface; a second blade outside surface; a second handle end portion; a second blade portion, the first blade end portion extending away from the second handle end portion and terminating at a second blade tip, the second blade portion having a second blade cutting edge and an opposing second blade blunt edge; an articulating insert means for pivotally connecting the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade at an intersection portion location whereby the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade are movable between an open position where the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade are oriented transversely to each other, and a closed position wherein the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade are oriented alongside each other, the intersection portion further comprising an integral locking screw means for securing the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade in the closed position; and an integral spring means for facilitating moving the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade into the open position.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20030094081 to Becker et al. discloses an electronic torque wrench including a workpiece-engaging head carried by a housing which also carries torque measuring apparatus including a processor operating under stored program control. A user interface is coupled to the torque measuring apparatus and includes a data input device and annunciator apparatus. The processor program responds to the input device for selectively setting or changing a preset torque level at any time, and compares torque values measured by the torque measuring apparatus with the preset torque level for causing the annunciator apparatus to produce an indication when the measured torque value coincides with the preset torque level.
The prior art has been trying to meet a continuing demand on the market to address stability, usabilty and effectiveness. A still growing demand is to introduce an improved string tuning device for a musical instrument. The present invention is to substantially fulfill the needs.